Today I so enjoyed chatting with Betsy Schwartz. She is a pioneer and a visionary. She began her career in 1991, working for one of the oldest postpartum doula services in the country. In 1994 she established Tenth Month Doula Services, the first of its kind in South Florida. Betsy is a founding member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, where she served on the Board for two years. Her most recent accomplishment is the creation and publication of Down the Canal – The Game of Birth. She also offers online courses for birth workers. Betsy continues to pioneer in Citrus County Florida where she is actively involved in community collaboration as part of the Citrus Committee of the Florida Healthy Babies Initiative. Betsy holds a master’s degree in management of human services. She was a DONA postpartum doula trainer for fourteen years, and before that a CAPPA trainer. Betsy is a certified postpartum doula, a Reiki Master and a yoga enthusiast, and is active in transformational work through Gratitude Training.

In her episode we chat about:

Why she was called to be a Postpartum Doula after her first birth

How she came to create "Down the Canal: The Game of Birth"

The best way for parents to be informed and take responsibility for their choices

Her two very different birth experiences

Her goal of sharing and teaching Reiki to Birth Workers and Pregnant Couples

How lovely the postpartum period is for forcing us to slow down

Navigating her second postpartum during the grief of losing her father

Sleep challenges

Our soap box about maternity leave in this country not being long enough

The disservice we do moms by telling them they should be "doing it all"

Redefining self care

And more!

Be sure to check out Betsy's work and the "Down the Canal Game of Birth" here.

You can find the episode wherever you find your podcasts or you can stream it here.

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

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